Generally described, computing devices utilize a communication network, or a series of communication networks, to exchange data. Companies and organizations operate computer networks that interconnect a number of computing devices to support operations or provide services to third parties. The computing systems can be located in a single geographic location or located in multiple, distinct geographic locations (e.g., interconnected via private or public communication networks). Specifically, data centers or data processing centers, herein generally referred to as a “data center,” may include a number of interconnected computing systems to provide computing resources to users of the data center. The data centers may be private data centers operated on behalf of an organization or public data centers operated on behalf, or for the benefit of, the general public.
To facilitate increased utilization of data center resources, virtualization technologies may allow a single physical computing device to host one or more instances of virtual machines that appear and operate as independent computing devices to users of a data center. With virtualization, a single physical computing device can create, maintain, delete, or otherwise manage virtual machines in a dynamic matter. In the simplest embodiment, users can request single computing device computer resources from a data center. In more complex embodiments, users, such as system administrators, can request the configuration of virtual machine instances corresponding to a desired set of networked computing devices. In such embodiments, the data center can implement varying number of virtual machine instances to implement the functionality and configuration of the requested physical computing device network.
One advantage of virtualization technology is that it allows for visibility into the status and configuration of the hosted virtual machine network. Modern networks are often distributed systems, lacking a single management entity with the ability to directly monitor network devices and traffic. This lack of central oversight can lead not only to the waste of network resources through overbroad vulnerability scanning and compliance measures, but can cause potentially problematic network events and changes in configuration to go unnoticed. In contrast, a virtual machine network can provide visibility into the operation and status of the virtual network. This increased transparency can lead to greater opportunities for network management, particularly in the area of network security.